Genesis Solar Mission

Although samples of the sun’s surface cannot be obtained because of its temperature, a NASA mission scheduled to start this summer will send a spacecraft outside Earth’s magnetic field to collect material from its outer layers. Because the sun contains more than 99% of the material in the solar system, scientists hope a study of its solar wind will shed light on how the various elements of the solar system were formed.

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Researched by CHRISTINE FREY / For The Times; Source: genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov